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Derek Simnett, creator of the Simnett Nutrition YouTube channel, previously shared a full week of what a strong vegan eats. Known for his high-protein meals and active lifestyle, Simnett uses this video to show how easy and enjoyable it is to fuel fitness on a plant-based diet.
He also shares tips for workout recovery, favorite supplements, go-to snacks, and how he balances training with rest. Throughout the video, Simnett focuses on home-cooked, nutrient-dense meals – plus a few desserts.
“I just want to show that you can eat a healthy vegan diet, and that it certainly isn’t boring,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Here’s how his week looked, day by day.
Read more: ‘The Foods I Eat To Get Enough Iron In My Plant-Based Diet’
Day 1: active rest and flavor-packed meals
Simnett starts the day with warm lemon water and a peanut butter, banana, hemp seed, and cinnamon toast combo. He enjoys coffee while working and later heads out for a light jog. “I don’t want to be sedentary all day. I think it’s good to get up and move,” he says.
For snacks, he brings tamari almonds and a mandarin orange. Dinner includes tempeh in Japanese BBQ sauce with pasta, frozen and fresh vegetables, and leftover tahini dressing. He finishes with a smoothie bowl made from frozen banana, blueberries, protein powder, and granola.
He ends the day with a vegan multivitamin containing B12, D3, and omega-3.
Day 2: more rest, simple meals
On day two, he takes another gym rest day after a seven-day workout streak and starts with avocado toast topped with sprouts and everything bagel seasoning. After uploading a video, he snacks on apple slices with peanut butter.
Dinner is takeout tofu hot pan and yellow curry from a local vegan-friendly restaurant to celebrate a birthday. Dessert is a homemade chocolate ganache cake made with tofu, peanut butter, and a date-nut crust.
Day 3: back to the gym
Simnett takes a new Fuji apple–pear flavored drink pre-workout, then heads to the gym.
“I just hammered some of that on the way to the gym,” he says. “It gives you good focus without a crash.”
Post-workout, he makes a big tofu scramble with vegetables, toast, microgreens, salsa, and avocado. Dinner is baked sweet potato, smoked seitan sausage with onions, kale pesto, and salad topped with tahini and balsamic reduction.
Day 4: protein oats and a two-meal day
Simnett adds beetroot crystals to his lemon water as a pre-workout. After training, he makes oatmeal cooked with dates, apples, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, and hemp hearts.
He pours over a protein “milk” made from banana, protein powder, creatine, and water.
Dinner is a bowl with tofu in Japanese BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli, rice, fresh veggies, sauerkraut, and avocado.
Read more: Plant-Based Diets Could Reduce Risk Of Certain Blood Clots, Study Finds
Day 5: tacos and curry
After leg day, Simnett makes black bean and rice tacos with corn tortillas, avocado, salsa, and vegan cheese. On the side, he eats salad with tahini dressing.
Dinner is an Instant Pot coconut curry with sweet potato, tofu, yellow split peas, curry spices, and frozen peas. He serves it with rice, spinach, and tomato.
Day 6: leftovers, noodles, and late-night snacks
Simnett uses leftover curry for lunch, adding sautéed spinach, rice, vegan sausage, and sauerkraut.
For dinner, he upgrades a frozen noodle meal from Costco with fava bean tofu, frozen broccoli, cabbage, and homemade sprouts.
“That’s how I change a frozen pack of noodles into a pretty healthy and delicious dinner.”
Late-night, he snacks on granola with banana, raspberries, soy milk, and creatine.
Day 7: smoothie fuel and tortilla pizza
Before heading into the mountains with friends, Simnett blends a smoothie with banana, dates, flax seeds, spinach, sprouts, protein powder, and creatine.
He snacks on trail mix and peanut butter banana sandwiches during the off-roading trip.
Dinner is tortilla pizza made with tomato sauce, pesto, smoked tofu, vegan cheese, and salad with tahini and balsamic glaze.
“Something I always love to do when I have pizza is put a whole bunch of fresh sprouts on it. Don’t knock it till you try it.”
Simnett wraps the video with a reminder that plant-based eating is flexible and flavorful.
“You can still have all the foods that you used to love – just veganized.”
You can find more videos from Simnett Nutrition on Derek’s YouTube channel.
